In this article, we explore concrete examples of circularity strategies for critical raw materials (CRMs) in commercial settings. We propose a company-level framework for systematically evaluating circularity strategies (e.g., material recycling, product reuse, and product or component lifetime extension) in specific applications of CRMs from the perspectives of specific industrial actors. This framework is applied in qualitative analyses—informed by relevant literature and expert consultation—of five case studies across a range of industries: (1) rhenium in high-pressure turbine components, (2) platinum group metals in industrial catalysts for chemical processing and oil refining, (3) rare earth permanent magnets in computer hard disk drives, (4) various CRMs in consumer electronics, and (5) helium in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. Drawing from these case studies, three broader observations can be made about company circularity strategies for CRMs. Firstly, there are multiple, partly competing motivations that influence the adoption of circularity strategies, including cost savings, supply security, and external stakeholder pressure. Secondly, business models and value-chain structure play a major role in the implementation of circularity strategies; business-to-business models appear to be more conducive to circularity than business-to-consumer models. Finally, it is important to distinguish between closed-loop circularity, in which material flows are contained within the “focal” actor’s system boundary, and open-loop circularity, in which material flows cross the system boundary, as the latter has limited potential for mitigating material criticality from the perspective of the focal actor.

Proton beam dumps are prolific sources of charged and neutral pions, enabling a powerful technique to search for dark matter, axions, sterile neutrinos, tests of short baseline anomalies, and precision measurements of coherent nucleus scattering neutrinos (CEvNS). The Lujan neutron elastic scattering center at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) consists of an 800-MeV, short-pulse, 100-kW proton and spallation neutron source where such searches are ongoing with the Coherent CAPTAIN Mills (CCM) 10-ton, liquid argon detector. The employment of fast timing coincidence of the beam with the detector is used to identify signals and reject background. The current beam time width is 300 ns with an intensity of $3.1 \times 10^{13}$ protons per pulse at 20 Hz. With upgrades to the Proton Storage Ring (PSR), the beam time width may be compressed to 30 ns with minimal intensity loss, allowing an increase in the signal to background (S/B) of more than 100 and an increase in the sensitivity for dark matter and sterile neutrino searches of an order of magnitude. This can be achieved with PSR accelerator upgrades on a time scale of a few years and at a modest cost.

A MeV ultrafast electron diffraction (MUED) instrument is a unique characterization technique to study ultrafast processes in materials by a pump-probe method. This relatively young technology can be advanced further into a turn-key instrument by using data science and artificial intelligence (AI) mechanisms in conjunctions with high-performance computing. This can facilitate automated operation, data acquisition and real-time or near-real-time processing. AI-based system controls can provide real-time feedback on the electron beam which is currently not possible due to the use of destructive diagnostics. Deep learning can be applied to the MUED diffraction patterns to recover valuable information on subtle lattice variations that can lead to a greater understanding of a wide range of material systems. A data science enabled MUED facility will also facilitate the application of this technique, expand its user base, and provide a fully automated state-of-the-art instrument. We will discuss the progress made on the MUED instrument in the Accelerator Test Facility of Brookhaven

In this article, we use rank to understand the price of chemical elements. We observe that the role of the volume from global mining production dominates in materials economics. In this article, we explore simplifying mechanisms in materials economics for conceptionally organizing the flows of chemical elements into society. We use the concept of rank, which plays a crucial role in information theory where power laws are involved, and is a useful measure for seeking extremal principles. Borrowing from an analogy to Zipf’s law leads to a power-law relationship between abundance and rank that—pressing the Zipf’s law analogy further—may suggest that the price paid for elemental materials optimizes efficient utilization. Factors such as weight, volume, and moles in the earth's crust or in global mining production of elements are used in our analysis. For this research, 42 elements with price and production data for the year 2010 (a relatively typical year) were considered. We observe that the role of the volume from global mining production dominates in materials economics and indicate that elements such as Te and He should be sold at prices at least ~ 100–1000 times more than their present price for efficient utilization.

Quantum information science is a growing field that promises to take computing into a new age of higher performance and larger scale computing as well as being capable of solving problems classical computers are incapable of solving. The outstanding issue in practical quantum computing today is scaling up the system while maintaining interconnectivity of the qubits and low error rates in qubit operations to be able to implement error correction and fault-tolerant operations. Trapped ion qubits offer long coherence times that allow error correction. However, error correction algorithms require large numbers of qubits to work properly. We can potentially create many thousands (or more) of qubits with long coherence states in a storage ring. For example, a circular radio-frequency quadrupole, which acts as a large circular ion trap and could enable larger scale quantum computing. Such a Storage Ring Quantum Computer (SRQC) would be a scalable and fault tolerant quantum information system, composed of qubits with very long coherence lifetimes. With computing demands potentially outpacing the supply of high-performance systems, quantum computing could bring innovation and scientific advances to particle physics and other DOE supported programs. Increased support of R$\&$D in large scale ion trap quantum computers would allow the timely exploration of this exciting new scalable quantum computer. The R$\&$D program could start immediately at existing facilities and would include the design and construction of a prototype SRQC. We invite feedback from and collaboration with the particle physics and quantum information science communities.

For more than 40 years the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) has provided the scientific underpinnings in nuclear physics and material science needed to ensure the safety and surety of the nuclear stockpile into the future. In addition to national security research, the LANSCE User Facility has a vibrant research program in fundamental science, providing the scientific community with intense sources of neutrons and protons to perform experiments supporting civilian research and the production of medical and research isotopes.

Political interest in the circular economy (CE) concept is increasing globally, creating the conditions for a transformation towards a more circular society. Meanwhile, the security implications of specific circular solutions and their impact on prioritisation between CE policies remain unclear. This paper applied an abductive approach to systematic and critical review methods to explore the connections between CE and security and map security priorities from the academic literature. In the systematic review, 249 papers on the CE were analysed using the circular principles framework and resource security concept. Then, the critical review selected 38 papers and employed a constructivist security discourse framework to distinguish security perspectives in the CE. As a result, this study presents a spectrum of circular solutions that can address the challenges of food, material, energy, and water resource security. Four security discourses in the CE that prioritise different solutions and have diverse security implications are found. These results can help CE studies to relate conceptually to resource security and broaden the spectrum of applicable solutions. The CE's security discourse framework can be used to explore the geopolitical, intragenerational, social, and environmental effects of circular solutions, inform political debates, evaluate circular policies, and support marginalised circular solutions to ensure an inclusive circular transformation.

Neutron-based experimental techniques have been continuously improved, refined and strengthened since the pioneering experiments conducted by Clifford Shull and Bertram Brockhouse in the mid twentieth century. The possibility to reveal structure and dynamics at different scales of distances and times, provided a deep insight into the microscopic nature of condensed matter systems. The advent of scattering techniques, firmly linked to instrument development (diffractometers, spectrometers), made neutron science attractive for scientists working in different fields, such as physics, biology, chemistry and engineering. Together with the development of intense sources and sophisticated instruments, the role of neutron detection techniques is instrumental for an effective use of the intense fluxes of neutron beams that became available in the last three decades. Detectors are then essential for the development of new and effective instrumentation that in turn can trigger new ideas for science. Neutrons made available at large scale facilities extend from ultra-cold to fast neutrons. Sources providing monochromatic fast neutron beams, such as DD or DT sources (also in the form of portable devices) are used for many applications, including at industrial level. Thus, the unique properties of neutrons in terms of their interaction with matter are related to the extended range of energies or (equivalently) wavelengths over which they can be produced at both compact and/or large scales facilities. The scope of this review is, starting from the main physical mechanism for neutron detection, to provide a survey on well assessed and newly developed neutron detection systems using both passive and active methods and their applications. It will provide an overview of the current state of neutron detection by describing different approaches and pointing out open problems to be faced.

Modern materials science builds on knowledge from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer and data science, and engineering sciences to enable us to understand, control, and expand the material world. Although it is anchored in inquiry-based fundamental science, materials research is strongly focused on discovering and producing reliable and economically viable materials, from super alloys to polymer composites, that are used in a vast array of products essential to today’s societies and economies. Frontiers of Materials Research: A Decadal Survey is aimed at documenting the status and promising future directions of materials research in the United States in the context of similar efforts worldwide. This third decadal survey in materials research reviews the progress and achievements in materials research and changes in the materials research landscape over the last decade; research opportunities for investment for the period 2020-2030; impacts that materials research has had and is expected to have on emerging technologies, national needs, and science; and challenges the enterprise may face over the next decade.